The President of the Greater Accra Market Association, Mercy Afrowa Needjan, has called for thorough independent investigations into the wave of market fires sweeping Ghana, saying ageing infrastructure and electrical overload are the most likely causes but that no theory should be dismissed without evidence.
Speaking on Woezor TV in an interview monitored by MyNewsGh on Tuesday, Needjan addressed the frequency of the fires and pushed back firmly against suggestions that traders were deliberately setting fire to markets to escape loan repayments, describing the allegation as unverified and potentially damaging.
Needjan said the timing of most fires, which she characterised as occurring consistently late at night or in the early hours of the morning after traders have locked up and left, made it difficult for market leaders to establish causes definitively. She urged investigators to include market leaders, traders and the banks with active loan books in affected areas in all future inquiries.
The association president identified two structural factors as high-risk contributors. The first is the age of Ghana’s market infrastructure, with several major commercial facilities across the country operating in buildings constructed more than five decades ago using predominantly wooden materials that have dried out significantly over time. The second is electrical overload, with traders now using fans, lighting, refrigerators and multiple gadgets in stalls that were wired for far lighter electrical loads when built.
Despite the challenges, Needjan said market leaders are not waiting for government intervention alone. The Greater Accra Market Association has introduced an internal enforcement system under which traders who leave lights, cooking fires or electrical appliances on after closing are penalised. Traders who violate safety rules are subjected to additional padlocking of their stalls, and those responsible for repeated electrical infractions are required to purchase fire extinguishers at their own cost as a disciplinary measure.
She acknowledged that cooking within market premises remains a persistent safety challenge, noting that regulations prohibit it but that enforcement is difficult given the density of traders and the informal nature of many market operations.
Ghana’s markets have experienced what fire service officials have described as an unprecedented frequency of fires since the start of 2026. The Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) recorded multiple major incidents in January alone, including a blaze at Kasoa New Market on January 4 that destroyed more than 100 stalls and required eight fire engines drawn from two regions to contain, a fire behind the VVIP Station at Kwame Nkrumah Circle on January 20 that gutted approximately 50 shops, and a fire at Madina Market on January 21.
A similar pattern of market fires was recorded in January 2025, raising concerns among safety experts about whether seasonal factors such as harmattan winds, reduced humidity and accumulated dry combustibles in wooden stalls are contributing to the annual spike.
Greater Accra Regional Fire Commander Rashid Kwame Nisawu has separately called for improved fire hydrant infrastructure to assist firefighting operations, noting that limited access to water in some commercial areas delays suppression efforts and allows fires to spread further than they otherwise would.
The National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) has been registering displaced traders following each incident to coordinate relief distribution, though affected traders across multiple sites have continued to appeal for faster government support and longer-term market infrastructure upgrades.
The GNFS has attributed the broader pattern of outbreaks to poor adherence to fire safety precautions, but has not publicly linked any individual fire to arson pending ongoing investigations.
